Late Night Talk withAubrey Masango

Aifheli Makhwanya is Head of Policy and Research at the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF). She says there is a vital connection between research and how it informs strategy.

You need to appreciate and understand your market.

— Aifheli Makhwanya, NFVF Policy and Research

Lots of workers in this industry are freelance workers, so they are not working on a regular basis. One of the biggest challenges that we have within the industry is the nature of the work which is freelance.

— Aifheli Makhwanya

Makhwanya says that Film and Television, like the music business and other creative fields, is a very tough business.

The NFVF exists to be able to open up doors for people who need the opportunities, and to open up doors for funding. And for those who want to go beyond the South African market, we do open up those international opportunities.

— Aifheli Makhwanya

She says it is always a good idea to focus on what exactly you want to do, be it features or documentaries or other genres. Netrworking and getting to know people in the industry is key.

The job opportunities are there...the industry was able to create 25 000 jobs.

— Aifheli Makhwanya

The current box office report released by NFVF shows 22 feature films were released last year, and we would like to see more productions coming out.

— Aifheli Makhwanya

The local market is tough she admits. Of the 22 films released, only 5 were able to make more than R5 million.

Aifheli Makhwanya, Head of Policy and Research at the NationalFilm and Video Foundation